Gauer Daten- und Aktenvernichtungs GmbH as a certified specialist disposal company does not employ any subcontractors for the disposal and destruction of information carriers. All employees are permanent employees and are bound to data confidentiality according to §5 of the BDSG.

The declarations can be viewed on request.

1. Collection of material

The material to be destroyed is collected under the responsibility of the client in containers normally provided by the contractor. The shape and design of the containers depends on the requirements and possibilities (space conditions) at the collection point. All containers are lockable.

2. Transport of material

Herein all steps for the secure transport of the information carriers to be destroyed, from the collection point to the contractor’s site are described. All transport vehicles are fitted with a fixed and closed construction.

2.1 Loading of the containers

The containers determined by the client for exchange or collection are brought from the collection point to the vehicle by Gauer sworn specialist employees where they are either loaded by a suitable fixture or emptied into special vehicles. Before departure the containers are secured to prevent slipping. After the loading process has been completed the client receives a takeover protocol with the following loading information:

• who

• when

• what

• where

• with which vehicle

This protocol is signed both by the client or his representative as well as by the Gauer driver and one copy of this takeover protocol remains with the client.

2.2 Transport to the destruction facility

If no containers are to be collected from other customers the vehicle takes the fastest possible way to Gauer Daten- und Aktenvernichtungs GmbH, Paul-Friedländer-Straße 10, 65203 Wiesbaden. If further stops have to be made the vehicle will be secured at every stop. Direct transport to the destruction site is also available on customer request.

2.3 Entrance to the destruction facility

Entrance to the company is via an electronically locked and secured vehicle transfer station. Before entering the premises the driver reports to the planning department and notifies the appropriate people about any unusual events having occurred during transport. The planning department then informs the warehouse manager about the arrival of the vehicle so that an appropriate confined space can be allocated.

2.4 Unloading of the vehicle

After the vehicle has reached it’s unloading position the containers are unloaded. To accelerate this procedure additional workers may assist the driver.

3. Emptying of the secure containers

Up until the time when the actual shredding takes place the material remains in the closed safety containers. Immediately prior to shredding, the containers will be emptied by the appropriate personnel who are also committed to § 5 BDSG. After emptying the containers are checked to ensure that no documents have remained on the sides or the bottom of the container. For emptying of the containers specially fitted devices are used.

4. Sorting of information carriers

To obtain the highest possible quality of paper pulp it is necessary to sort out and remove all non-paper substances and components that can be harmful during production. These include wet-strength paper (e.g. EC-forms), strongly coloured paper (such as carbon paper), files in plastic covers or organic components (i.e. banana peels or bread crumbs). This process must take place before grinding. The surplus products are ground acc. to DIN 32 757, security level 3, and the non-reusable granules are correctly disposed of.

5. Destruction of information carriers

Gauer destroys paper-based information carriers according to DIN 32 757 security levels 3, 4 and 5. For information carriers with downsized visualization (microfiches and films) safety levels 4 and 5 are available. The destruction of magnetic information carriers is acc. to DIN 33858. The destruction is always according to client's requirements. These requirements are described either in the respective framework agreement or on the individual order. Parallel to grinding the granules are also mixed by strong turbulences which is due to the type of industrial shredding and grinding devices used. A hydraulic high-performance press compresses the granules to high-tension bales with a pressure of over 100 tons. These are then recycled as raw material within the paper industry. The destruction data relevant for the destruction confirmation (date and time) is recorded and printed on the order header as confirmation of destruction together with the invoice.

6. Recycling of paper granules

The recovered paper raw material is mainly used for manufacturing sanitary paper like

• paper towels

• toilet paper and

• cleaning cloths.

7. Thermal recycling of non-recycled granules

After grinding, plastic based information carriers (e.g., overhead transparencies, tapes, floppy disks), sorting residues, or wet-strength glued papers are thermally recycled (incinerated) in approved facilities.